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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25153402">Afternoon Odyssey</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/XIntensity_FallsX/pseuds/XIntensity_After_DarkX'>XIntensity_After_DarkX (XIntensity_FallsX)</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Endurance Epic [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Hazbin Hotel (Web Series)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Adventure, Alastor dealing with nightmares, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Asexual Alastor (Hazbin Hotel), Awkward Dates, Dates gone wrong, M/M, Mentions of Masturbation, Mentions of Past Racism, Mentions of Tentacle Sex, Romance, headcanons for Alastor's staff, staticlovetune</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-07-08</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-07-08</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-05 03:47:24</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>15,323</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25153402</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/XIntensity_FallsX/pseuds/XIntensity_After_DarkX</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Alastor meets up with Vox as promised after their night of pure hell. After an accident renders Alastor silent, the pair find themselves on another adventure.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Alastor/Vox (Hazbin Hotel), Blitzo/Stolas (Helluva Boss), past Vox/Stolas</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Endurance Epic [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1822126</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>194</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Afternoon Odyssey</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Many thanks for your patience in waiting for this story! If you liked the last Endurance Night story, hopefully you will enjoy this one too.</p><p>Alastor goes through a lot in this. I also put in a decent amount of headcanons. This story was also written before we found out that Vox has a working MOUTH. Believe me, I will capitalize on this in the next one, pfft. I've labeled this fic as an AU with canon divergence for this, and some headcanons I put in about Alastor's staff as I wanted to add some different elements into this story.</p><p>Many thanks to Vol_Ctrl for betaing this for me!<br/>I hope you enjoy the story!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>“There is a time for many words, and there is also a time for sleep.”- Homer, The Odyssey</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Outside, the screams of the surprise execution night continued. They pushed their way past the thick glass of one of the guest rooms in the studio, surrounding Vox like an uncomfortable blanket. He strained to listen, but each cry brought him more relief. None of those screams were Alastor’s. He was safe in the hotel. Even with that knowledge, his fingers itched to call him one more time just to make sure.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>No. There was no need to piss Alastor off by constantly calling him. I’ll see him in a day.</span>
  </em>
  
</p><p>
  <span>He glanced to the space beside him on the bed. He reached over and put a hand on the empty area, squeezing the blankets. His heart panged with longing. </span>
  <em>
    <span>I should have fought harder to keep us together.</span>
  </em>
  
</p><p>
  <span>-One day later-</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>When Vox said he was going to take him out on a date, he really meant it. Their table was right under the largest chandelier in the most expensive restaurant in all of Hell, as the sounds of soft violins greeted them. The linens on their table cloth were embroidered with delicate looking eye shaped designs, matching the soft napkin draped on his lap. He tried to fight the crawling sensation that danced up his back that he was far too under dressed for the establishment in his only suit.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Had he </span>
  <span>known;</span>
  <span> he would have made a different one out of an illusion. </span>
  <span>Alastor’s</span>
  <span> brow furrowed. When did he start caring about such things? His physical appearance was of no consequence before. His eyes flitted over to Vox, in his expensive suit with glowing pinstripes made of material he </span>
  <em>
    <span>knew</span>
  </em>
  <span> had to be soft to the touch. His fingers itched. He wanted to touch the material- if only to confirm his thoughts. The way it crinkled at the bends in his arms, and the crisp edges made it seem like an entirely new suit.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>A new suit just for this date? He took a sip of wine to hide his contemplative expression. A new suit, and the most expensive restaurant in Hell no less. Around them, the most elite demons of Hell dined. Every so often he caught a whisper about Vox and his deeds yesterday with the executioners. With his ears, he could not help but hear them and all of their curiosities. Vox was blissfully unaware as he autographed one of the server’s notebooks for them with his usual flourish. “Look... Vox. This is all very nice, but-” </span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“More steak?”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Alastor</span>
  <span> looked to the additional plate of rare meat being offered by both the server and his date. “...You know I can’t say no to that.” His empty plate was replaced with another full one. How many did that make? Three? Thankfully Vox had money. He started cutting in to his dinner, and then sighed as he put down the cutlery. “I don’t know if you know, but we have to talk about who I am and our ah...</span>
  <em>
    <span>future</span>
  </em>
  <span>. Given who you are as a person, what you do for a living and the </span>
  <em>
    <span>businesses </span>
  </em>
  <span>you help run, plus your potential designs on me may be... not compatible. I am not a man who has sexual relations with others.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Vox drummed his fingers rapidly on the table, then curled them into the cloth. “That’s fine.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Alastor gave him a long, even stare. There was a low din of steady restaurant noise filling in his silent pause. “Forgive me for my annoyance, but I don’t understand how that would be fine for you. You help operate a pornography studio.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“I do.” Vox shrugged nonchalantly. “And it’s fine. Really fine. Totally fine that you don’t have sex.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Alastor let out a sigh, gesturing to the table cloth. “You’ve torn the table cloth. It’s clearly not fine.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Ugh.” Vox let out a sigh of his own. “</span>
  <span>Alastor</span>
  <span>, I like you. You have to know that by now. I killed two executioners for you last night. Is </span>
  <span>it </span>
  <em>
    <span>disappointing</span>
  </em>
  <em>
    
  </em>
  <span>that I can’t fuck you three ways from Sunday? Yes. Yes, it is. ...But as I learned last night, there’s more to you than what I’d like to stick my dick into.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Alastor pursed his lips. “I’m not sure if that’s sweet or not. You’ll have to ask me again later”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“My question to you is, do you date? I mean, you’re getting free food off of me right now, but what about beyond that where we don’t get food? Are those dates off limits too?”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“No. That’s not off limits.” </span>
  <span>Alastor</span>
  <span> folded his hands into his lap, with a sigh. “I like you, Vox. Much more than ever before. You risked a lot to save me, so much of it stupidly brave.” Some part of him liked how wildly reckless Vox was, how he was seemingly fine with whatever danger or destruction that happened to him so long as </span>
  <span>Alastor</span>
  <span> was safe. At the very least, it was absurdly flattering. “You stuck to your promise. I’ve ah... never met anyone like that either when I was alive or down here. Truthfully, I’m not sure how to take you. You’re very overwhelming, but I enjoy your presence all the same now that we’re not in extreme danger. You’ll have to take my lack of knowledge </span>
  <span>regarding</span>
  <span> these subjects in stride, and accept my apology in advance for not knowing the song and dance of relationships.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Vox sat back in his chair, tilting his screen to the side. “...I take it you never had a relationship when you were alive.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh heavens no. I didn’t have the time! I’m not certain when you died, but relationships between men were an absolute no. I was also... ah... Not as desirable to many of the masses of my community.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“You mean with the whole murdering thing?” </span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“No, no. Not that.” He took a moment to eat a piece of his steak, chewing on it slowly as he fought to find the words. Swallowing, he looked back over to the other demon. “I’m mixed. While it was fairly common where I was from, people with lighter skin tone were more acceptable. My skin was brown.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“...Oh.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Alastor paused, toying with a bit of meat on his plate. “Would that have mattered to you?” He stared at Vox, a long, uncomfortable, unblinking gaze meant to take him and whatever words he said apart.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>What happened was a near immediate, firm reply. “Of course not. It wouldn’t have mattered to me alive, and it doesn’t dead. I didn’t mean to sound taken off guard, it’s hard to picture you as anything other than a deer demon.” He squinted at him. “That’s all I’ve ever known you as.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Are you trying right now?” Alastor asked with an amused grin.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Like hell I am. Where you a red head alive too?”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Alastor felt his face heat up. “No, I had dark hair. Oh! And I had glasses. It’s amazing how quickly you forget what you look like.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“You had glasses? Well, </span>
  <em>
    <span>fuck</span>
  </em>
  <span>. I bet you were cute with them on.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Alastor’s face blushed darker. “Oh, stop it.” </span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Vox’s grin went wider. “You </span>
  <em>
    <span>were</span>
  </em>
  <span>. You’d be doomed if I had known you when we were both alive. So... ah... were you lonely then with no relationships?”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, no. I didn’t want a relationship while alive, but I did have a decent amount of friends if wanted some companionship.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“What about down here?”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Mmm.” He rubbed his chin, and then took another bite of his steak. “No. I’ve never been with another demon. I thought about it, but I discovered things about myself that filled that need. I can use my shadows to help me. I suppose if you could imagine, they’re like tentacles and are surprisingly helpful. I suppose if I really wanted to, I could ask Angel for assistance, but I haven’t needed or wanted it.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Vox seemed to sizzle out for a moment, a look of shock etched on his screen. Alastor blinked at the frozen expression on his screen, and waved his hand in front of it. “Vox? Are you in there?” A wicked smile spread across his face as he stopped the waiter. “My date and I would love a bottle of your most expensive wine. On him, of course.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>-</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“I still don’t understand what happened.” Alastor said as he popped open the bottle of wine in the limo. He took the offered glass from Vox, giving himself a healthy portion. “You were fine, and then your face froze. I was lucky the restaurant manager knew how to fix you. Thankfully he was a good enough teacher. I think I can fix you next time if it happens again.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“I had an overload of data because of you.” Vox’s screen flushed a dark blue. “How could you just... </span>
  <em>
    <span>tell me that</span>
  </em>
  <span> and not expect a similar reaction?”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Please. Isn’t the sex industry your business? I figured what I did to get rid of a rare urge is under your business umbrella.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh my fucking god.” Vox rubbed at his screen with both of his palms. “No. No, no. And NO. I’m romantically interested in you and find you attractive, and then you tell me you’re basically a virgin and use </span>
  <em>
    <span>tentacles</span>
  </em>
  <span> to get yourself off-”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <span>Does...</span>
  <span> Does that bother you? They’re part of me, I thought it’d be normal to use them. Is that weird? ...Am I wrong to do so? This is your industry, if I’m not doing something right-”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“No! I mean- no, it’s normal and it doesn’t bother me. It’s also not weird. It makes me ah...” He fiddled with his hands for a moment. “It’s an </span>
  <em>
    <span>enticing</span>
  </em>
  <span> image.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Alastor blushed red up to his ears. “Well. I guess I choose to be flattered that a smut peddler lost his damn mind over something I did.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Vox turned toward him, extending his clawed hand toward Alastor’s face. He drew a line down his jaw, then brushed over it with his knuckle. “Darling, you’d make me lose my damn mind every day if you could and you know it.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Alastor gave him an amused look. “Yes indeed, you’re correct.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“C’mere.” Vox reached over and pulled Alastor on to his lap.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“You are very lucky I don’t mind being touched by you.” Alastor placed his hands on Vox’s shoulders. “Our adventure last night saw to that.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“I wanted you to come back with me. I needed to know you were safe.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“I called you, you ridiculous electronic.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m not ridiculous, I’m greedy.” He reached back and squeezed Alastor‘s ass. It earned him a smart slap across his screen.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Alastor shook out his hand. “</span>
  <em>
    <span>You are</span>
  </em>
  
  <em>
    <span>pushing your luck</span>
  </em>
  <span>.” His eyes turned to dials and the sound of static increased.   </span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Vox let up, settling for resting his hands on the sides of </span>
  <span>Alastor’s</span>
  <span> thighs. “Noted. I don’t want my lap privileges taken away so soon after getting them. ...How did the rest of last night go for you? I was worried after all we went through that you might have a problem resting afterward. You look pretty tired.” He cupped the side of his face, noting how dark the circles were under his eyes.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>He did not rest. He spent the rest of the night waiting for the day to begin. Every last horrific moment of his life was determined to replay itself in his mind even in the safety of the hotel. His lungs hurt as if he had been running through the bayou again, and every time he shut his eyes, he saw the eyes of the dogs staring back at him before they ripped in to him before the rip of gunfire ended his suffering. At some point, his mind shut down into a state where he no longer had to think. Charlie found him in a chair, staring at the wall the next morning. It was intense enough for him to wonder if he was still suffering the effects of the poison gas he breathed in. “It was fine.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Was it?” Vox‘s hand carded through his hair, the gesture had him leaning in for more.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes.” If it was residual from the gas, he hadn’t the slightest idea of when it was going to be out of his system. It could be every night for weeks. If it was not caused by surviving through the attack, it might have been enough to bring old wounds to the surface. He winced at the thought. The deep recesses of his mind dredging up his last hours over and over because they were freshly remembered made him want to order several large cups of coffee and stave off exhaustion. Though, the comforting sensation coming off of Vox was encouraging. Maybe if he went with him, he could keep him grounded in reality enough to relax. The heat between them was starting to soothe him as it was. He leaned in more, until he was resting flush against him.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>He felt a strange sort of hum and pulse go through him at a bone deep level. It was entirely new, and made him feel completely at home. He pulled back, looking at Vox for a moment. This was the most at peace he had felt in a long time. Perhaps he should have gone back to the studio. Maybe it was unwise to have spent the night alone after reliving his own death. Vox’s company was doing wonders so far. Until he was asked about it earlier, he hadn’t thought about the night before. He tilted his head to the side with a curious gaze before speaking once more. “I had a nice time tonight.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah?” Vox’s grin was wide and proud.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Come back to the studio with me. We’ll relax.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Alastor snorted and shook his head. “No, darling- why in the devil’s name would I go there now without the threat being torn apart by executioners?”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Because my penthouse doesn’t have a hot tub, and while I can’t enjoy that with you the studio, you seem like you’d enjoy a dip in one.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Alastor furrowed his brow. “...Don’t all tubs have the capability of being hot?”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“I-well yeah, but...” Vox trailed off, staring at Alastor for a moment. “Wait, have you never been in a hot tub? Granted, neither have I given my electrical nature, but I’ve seen them in action. It’s a deep tub with jets of water in it that swirl hot water around. Valentino swears by it. Says it’s great for relaxation. Given what we went through, I’d like to offer a way to relax.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Mmm. How oddly sweet of you. What’s in it for you?”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Brownie points. Company at night. A more sedate, happy Alastor. I see you naked in a hot tub-” He began and ticked each point off on his fingers.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, I see.” He shook his head, feeling his cheeks flush again. “Well, my dear fellow. As flattered as I am that you wish to see my naked self, you are not quite there yet.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“No?”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“No.” Alastor patted his shoulder.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“But I </span>
  <em>
    <span>can</span>
  </em>
  <span> get there?”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Alastor’s face turned red. “P-perhaps.” He sputtered. “The stars do align once in a while.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Vox leaned toward him, shifting in his seat to look at Alastor fully. “Well. If you won’t go with me tonight, can I see you again this week?”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Alastor’s eyes widened and he felt his face remain red, the burn licking at his skin. “I- I suppose, yes. Is your Saturday afternoon free?”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ll clear my schedule.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>-</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Alastor</span>
  <span> walked into the hotel, feeling his blush slowly begin to die down. No one was in the lobby which was just fine with him. After a brief ride in the elevator to get to his floor, he felt the wild flow of thoughts pulse through his mind unchecked. Every thought he had was an analysis of the entire date.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Once he was in his room, he let out a long, winding sigh. His shoulders sagged with the weight of his own thoughts. From every angle, it appeared Vox’s intentions were to give him a great date. </span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>He chewed on his lip. “I did have fun.” He tapped his full stomach. “I suppose it was a great date then.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>With a wave of his hand, he double locked the door behind him with his own magic. He pushed open the door to his balcony, walking out into the hot evening air. He imagined where Vox’s limousine was going, what streets the elegant car was snaking down- if he was heading toward the glowing XXX Studio.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>He assumed so. Vox did not seem too keen to go to where ever he lived. Vox’s question from earlier repeated itself into his mind. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Were you lonely then with no relationships? </span>
  </em>
  <span>Alastor went back into his room, heading over to his vanity. He pulled out the Vox voodoo doll, now with no pins sticking out of it. He pressed his thumbs into the doll’s midsection.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, darling- </span>
  <em>
    <span>you </span>
  </em>
  <span>are lonely, aren’t you? Staying with your friend instead of being by yourself. Well. I am not so lonely.” He sat the doll on his nightstand, kicking his shoes off before sitting on the bed. “I have no issues being by myself. I don’t need to spend nights at a debauchery palace.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>He chuckled at the doll, smugness quirking at his lips. “What will I do with you, darling? With all your flattery and expensive attention. I don’t </span>
  <em>
    <span>know </span>
  </em>
  <span>what you want from me. I don’t feel like I can give you what you truly want. ...At least not as soon as you may want it to be. I suppose we’ll see where it goes, hmm? At least it’s new and exciting.” He flopped back on the bed, staring up at the ceiling. The pleasantness of the date washed over him, filling his body with warmth that spread out to the tips of his ears to the ends of his toes. He allowed his eyes to shut with a true smile on his face.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Tiny bits of gnawing dread began to bite at him. Reminders of the nightmare from the other night crept in, pushing out the good feelings of the evening out. His fingers dug into the sheets, his eyes snapping open when he could no longer stand the painful reminders. His stomach churned, and he bit his lip. “I may not be </span>
  <em>
    <span>lonely</span>
  </em>
  <span> but I do feel other things.” He sat up slowly, eyeing the telephone on his vanity.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“...No, I will not.” He let out a sigh, his eyes glancing back to the doll. “I can’t call you, darling. I haven’t let you in just yet.” His heart twisted, remembering how being around Vox helped soothe a part of himself he was having difficulty controlling. It was such a strange sensation. Ease. Safety. As if he could trust Vox after what they went through. So why then, couldn’t he tell him about the nightmares? His stomach knotted at the thought. </span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Even if it </span>
  <em>
    <span>would</span>
  </em>
  <span> help.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>-</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>By time Saturday came, </span>
  <span>Alastor</span>
  <span> was accustomed to not sleeping. Eventually, his body would collapse from exhaustion. He would recover then. He studied his face in his vanity, noting the darkness creeping underneath his red eyes. He pursed his lips. Vox was going to notice.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>There </span>
  <em>
    <span>will </span>
  </em>
  <span>be questions.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>He rubbed his chin in thought, deciding to gather his hair into a bit of a ponytail, hoping the slight change of hairstyle would be enough to distract Vox from how tired he was. He smoothed down his waistcoat one last time, making his way to the quiet lobby.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey! There you are.” Vox was right on time.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Alastor</span>
  <span> gave him a grin. “And there you are.” As he approached, Vox pulled out a bouquet of different kinds of Hell’s wildflowers.  “Oh! For me?”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, yeah. I’m not sure of what your thoughts are on flowers, and I know you don’t like sweets. I figured I’d bring these. Gotta admit, I am curious to see what you’d-”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>There was a loud crunch as Alastor bit into one. After a moment of finishing off the flower, he beamed at him. “Delicious! Quite the beautiful appetizer, darling.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“I ah- yeah! That was </span>
  <em>
    <span>one</span>
  </em>
  <span> of the things I figured you’d do. ...You look different today-”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“I did something different with my hair.” Alastor found himself saying far too quickly.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Alastor...” He frowned. “You look tired-”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“I promise you, it’s fine. I’m fine. This is fairly normal behavior for me. It’s not like you can die from lack of sleep in Hell.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Well... no, you can’t.” Vox shuffled his feet as his screen flickered from concerned looks to contemplative ones. “You ah... Want to hang out here instead? We can order something to eat. You can give me a tour of the hotel. We don’t </span>
  <em>
    <span>have </span>
  </em>
  <span>to go out to have a date.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Alastor’s expression softened. He looked to Vox with a level of confusion. “You... wouldn’t mind?”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Of course not, I don’t care where we have our date as long as we get to go on one-”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>There was a loud, shrieking howl coming from the kitchen. Alastor’s ears twitched and flattened. “It sounds like Angel’s in some kind of trouble. Hold on, I’ll take care of it. It shouldn’t be any trouble. I’ll be right back!” He jogged off toward the sound.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Hold up, I’m coming too! I’ve got a monetary interest in Angel, and a romantic one in you.” Vox ran after Alastor toward the check in desk. There, a mass of teeth and tentacles came rolling after Angel toward where Alastor and Vox stood.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Al! What the ever-loving FUCK is that?! This thing has ‘you’ written all over it!” Angel skidded to a stop, hiding behind him and Vox.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh. Oh dear. I was planning on butchering that before the surprise execution night happened.” He ran a hand down his face. “Whoops. It’s alright, fellows! I’ve got this under control. It’s not a worry at all! Angel, hold my flowers.” He tossed the bouquet to him.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Babe, let me help you!”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t need it!” Alastor blew back the mass of tentacles with a wave of magic. “I’m one hundred percent fi-” One of the yellow tentacles lashed out at Alastor, pulling him down the hallway by his ankle.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Vox lunged forward, only to have Angel pulling him back with four sets of hands.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“He’ll be pissed if you interrupt him.” Angel muttered to Vox. “He was planning on eating that thing. It’s why I didn’t fill fulla holes. You’ll be on his bad side for a long fucking time if you mess with his cooking ingredients.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“But-”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“He’ll be fine.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m really beginning to hate that word.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Awww, relax boss’ boss. Al’s got this. ...Though, he has been a little off these past few days. Kinda... cranky, I guess. Up at all hours of the night, voluntarily taking the night shifts.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“I </span>
  <em>
    <span>knew</span>
  </em>
  <span> he looked tired.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>The creature gave a warbling howl all of its motions came to a stop. Alastor dusted off his hands, bowing at the waist toward Angel and Vox. “All taken care of.” The creature behind him exploded violently, sending Alastor flying into the hotel wall. There was a crunch, like stepping on a crumpled tin can. Vox summoned his cables to catch him before he could hit the ground.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Al-” Vox helped Alastor down, seating him on the floor. Angel came up beside them, on Alastor’s other side.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“He-he’s okay, right? Al?” Angel gently shook his shoulder.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Alastor’s</span>
  <span> body arched upward at an uncomfortable angle as red bits of magic jumped off of him like sparks. He sat up, summoning his staff into his hands. The microphone’s eye was blacked out, and there was a distinct rattling sound coming from inside of it.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Alastor!” Vox grabbed his shoulders. There was a slight glaze in his red eyes. Alastor blinked a few times, and shook his head. “Can you not scare me for a day? Just one day. That’s all I fucking ask.” He pulled him close. Alastor began to claw at his back, pushing him away. “Wh-”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Alastor opened his mouth, moving his lips and straining his throat to say something. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Anything. </span>
  </em>
  <span>Nothing came out other than silence.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Angel covered his mouth, letting out a muffled ‘Oh fuck’.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s alright, babe- don't panic. Just breathe.” Vox grabbed his hands. “In and out, come on.” </span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>When Alastor sucked in a breath, no sound came from him. He shook all over, looking wide eyed to Vox. He wore no smile, only a small, pale frown.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Vox immediately pulled Alastor to him.  He saw the sparking microphone, pulling back to look at Alastor’s worried expression.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Al-- your microphone.” Angel bit his lip and knelt down next to them. With a pair of shaking hands, Alastor went to press the smashed button on the side. Instead of a smart voice coming out of it, it warbled and died on a barely audible word.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Is that how you talk?” Vox looked to </span>
  <span>Alastor</span>
  <span> for confirmation. He got a nod in response. “Okay... I... okay. No big deal, I’m the media overlord, radio falls under my </span>
  <span>jurisdiction</span>
  <span>-”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Alastor</span>
  <span> narrowed his eyes at him, opening his mouth to let out a flurry of silent words.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Vox tilted his screen toward Angel. “Can you read lips?”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Nope. He looks pretty mad though, and he’s still going. Don’t let the smile fool ya.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Al, babe. Stop- It's true though! Media. Radio. Radio belongs in media. I’m not saying what I do is better than what you do, if that’s what you’re yammering about.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Alastor</span>
  <span> snapped his mouth shut in realization that no sound was coming out of him. His shoulders slumped and he let out a silent huff. He gestured toward his broken microphone, as if relinquishing it to Vox.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Don’t worry, I’ll have you fixed up in a second and then you can holler at me all you want.” Vox grabbed up the microphone and concentrated some of his electric blue current into it. It shook violently in his hand, rejecting the current outward into the hotel. It struck a pillar and blew off the molding. “</span>
  <em>
    <span>Shit</span>
  </em>
  <span>. My technology might be too powerful.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Alastor’s</span>
  <span> flat expression had Angel in a laughing fit. </span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“He </span>
  <span>ain’t</span>
  
  <span>buyin</span>
  <span>’ it, boss’ boss.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“I know, I know.” He gritted his teeth. “Well uh... did it work? Can you speak?”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Alastor</span>
  <span> opened his mouth. Silence greeted them both.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span> Vox winced and shook the staff. The same rattle from before made itself known. “Ah, well... okay. Whatever is broken inside, we’ll have to go get it fixed. There’s got to be a place that fixes magic shit in the city.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Alastor shoved his free hand into Vox’s suitcoat, yanking out his cell phone. He tapped his thumb on the phone’s screen insistently, trying to get it to turn on.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Here, hold on.” Vox took the phone back, and opened up the map application. “Put the place in the address bar.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Alastor</span>
  <span> knitted his brow as he looked at the display screen, his ears flattening against his head. He flipped the phone around, gesturing to it with his finger as his face was full of frustrated confusion. He shoved it back into Vox’s hands in favor of rooting around in his own pockets. He pulled out a business card from his wallet, handling it to him.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Ah... I’m going to have to give you phone lessons. I’ll do it on my monitor to show you how it’s done.” Vox took the card. He brought up a search screen on his face, as he navigated through the website, the pages changed too rapidly for Alastor to follow fully. His face returned a moment later. “This place has terrible reviews! We’re not going there. It says the repair service is atrocious, and you have to wait at least a week-”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Alastor gave him a thin smile, his ears still back. He pointed firmly at the card in Vox’s hand. </span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Why </span>
  </em>
  <span>do you want to go there?”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>He snapped his fingers at him as he pointed at the card, his ears flattening back against his head. </span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Alright, alright. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Fine.</span>
  </em>
  
  <span>We will go there. It’s not far, we can walk.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Alastor’s ears perked right back up. A normal smile spread across his face and he nodded.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Al, are you really sure you are okay?” Angel frowned at him, gesturing toward his body. “You hit the wall pretty hard.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Alastor patted Angel’s head in response. He took Vox’s hand, taking the offered help to get off the ground.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Can you inform your hotel’s staff about what happened? They should know.”   </span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Alastor shook his head no.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Well... Al says not to.” Angel pointed at him. “He probably doesn’t want to worry Charlie and Vaggie.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>It was confirmed with a nod.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“You two are being ridiculous. There’s a blown up ‘ingredient’ in the hallway for fuck’s sake. What are you going to do, make sure they don’t go down that hallway?! It’s pretty fucking obvious-” There was a sudden flash of red and yellow darting in front of them and down the hallway. There was a whiff of bleach, and a generous bunch of soap bubbles floated into the lobby from where the flash had gone.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Heh. Don’t worry, boss. Nifty’s on it.” Angel exchanged amused expressions with </span>
  <span>Alastor</span>
  <span> as Vox’s screen only flushed with </span>
  <span>confusion. Alastor</span>
  <span> tugged on his arm. “</span>
  <span>Goooo</span>
  <span>. I’ll take care of everything here. Go get Al fixed up. He’s </span>
  <span>gotta</span>
  <span> be freaked with not being able to talk.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Vox looked to Alastor, who gave a non-committal shrug. It was the desperate hard squeeze to his arm that tipped him off, however. “Okay, okay. Let’s go.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>-</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>On screen, the walk seemed like a good idea. It was a classic date idea, a walk between lovers. However, with one of them unable to speak, he soon found himself growing uncomfortable. </span>
  <span>Alastor’s</span>
  <span> expression remained unchanged, but the death grip on his arm made him swallow thickly. “We’ll get it fixed.” Vox said and covered </span>
  <span>Alastor’s</span>
  <span> hand with his own. “And you’ll speak again. It’s not even going to be an issue.” </span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Alastor looked to him with a pained expression in his eyes, despite the smile on his face. He made a series of small gestures indicating that he was fine, the walk was short, and it would all work out. He stared expectantly at Vox, waiting for him to agree with what he had mimed out.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Vox stared at him in return, raising an eyebrow. “Oh. Sorry. I thought you were swatting at a bug.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Alastor rolled his eyes in response.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay, so- I know what that one means.” He teased and reached out to take </span>
  <span>Alastor’s</span>
  <span> hand.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>They walked in silence for a moment. </span>
  <span>Alastor</span>
  <span> kept his eyes focused on the sidewalk, barely turning his head toward Vox. He felt the unsettled current coming from Vox, he knew what was coming. Questions- endless questions- ones he could not and did not want to answer.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“I could have helped you. I killed two executioners for you. I could have handled whatever thing you were planning on eating.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>He let out a long, annoyed sigh. He glanced to Vox and shook his head.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“No? What do you mean, no?”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Alastor turned fully toward them, stopping them both on the side walk. He opened his mouth to speak, his brow immediately furrowing in frustration. Pinching the bridge of his nose, he gestured toward their reflection in a store front window.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Ugh, I hate charades. Okay, yeah. That’s us. What about us?”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Alastor poked him in the chest, held up two fingers, and flapped his arms if they were wings.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Me-- and the executioners? Is that what the two is for?”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>With a nod, Alastor pointed to himself and held up a zero sign.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“You didn’t kill any. Yeah, but that’s okay. I was pretty motivated to save you and you weren’t exactly in the best spot to kill any-”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>He shook his head, gesturing to himself more forcefully.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Vox stared at him for a moment more. “...Look, if this is about you feeling bad for not killing one, I don’t think less of you. You’re the radio demon, and you had a </span>
  <em>
    <span>really </span>
  </em>
  <span>bad night. You don’t have to prove </span>
  <em>
    <span>anything</span>
  </em>
  <span> to me. Is that what this is about?”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Alastor let out another silent sigh. He made a slight gesture with his hand.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Huh. I’m pretty proud I figured out at least that.” He rubbed the bottom of his screen. “Do you want to try and tell me the rest?”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Alastor shook his head, and reached out to take Vox’s arm.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Later then, you’re right. We have to get your microphone fixed. Then you’ll tell me?”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>He smirked at him, and made the same slight gesture.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re a pain.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Alastor nudged him in the side and grinned. Vox went to make a grab for him, only to have the other demon dance out of the way with a widening grin.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh ho, is that how you want to play?” Vox returned the grin with a smirk as he made a lunge for </span>
  <span>Alastor</span>
  <span> who quickly evaded him. Vox chased after him down the side walk, stopping only briefly to admire the look of mirth on his face. “Don’t think you’ve won because you’re so damn distracting-”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Alastor</span>
  <span> came to a sudden stop, taking hold of Vox’s arm. His ears twitched; his brow furrowed in concentration as he listened to something </span>
  <span>only</span>
  <span> he could hear. He gave a cautious tug to Vox’s sleeve for him to follow.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“What- where are we going? We’re not far from the repair place.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Alastor</span>
  <span> waved his hand at the word, tugging on his arm this time.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay, I’m game for a detour. You’re never boring, babe.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>The pair traveled down the sidewalk at a slower pace, guided by whatever Alastor was trying to listen to. He stopped short once again, waiting for a few more moments, and then turned down a nearby street. The soft sounds of music trickled over them. Not from a radio, but from live musicians. Alastor tugged harder on Vox’s arm, and the two made their way down another set of streets toward a large block party in the heart of Pentagram City. There were sinners up and down the streets popping open bottles, setting down food onto large tables, and dancing to the band playing lively music.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey, a party! Not a bad find, babe. You </span>
  <span>wanna</span>
  <span> stop and have some fun before we hit the repair place? We’re still on a date after all.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Alastor’s</span>
  <span> eyes danced from table to table, all lined with food. The music made his ears twitch and his toe tap. He gave a quick nod, grabbing ahold of Vox’s hand. With a wide grin, he pulled Vox into the sea of dancing sinners. It seemed like they were only there for a few moments, but the more they swayed to the sounds of the band, the longer </span>
  <span>Alastor</span>
  <span> remained in his arms all made time irrelevant. There was a sort of magic to the way </span>
  <span>Alastor</span>
  <span> moved- how light he was on his feet, how wide his smile looked, and when Vox dipped him or spun him a round there was a look of pure delight in his eyes.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>The band left the stage for the break as the dancing couples made their way toward the stacked tables. Vox let out a </span>
  <span>disappointed</span>
  <span> sigh before noting how much his feet ached in his expensive shoes. “Damn, how long where we dancing for?”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Alastor</span>
  <span> shrugged a shoulder, brushing back some of his red hair that had gotten mussed in their dancing. He gave him a wide smile, the expression dazzling but held a degree of exhaustion that was making itself more well-known on his face. Vox reached up to cup his cheek. “Sorry, babe. I... I didn’t realize. I was having so much fun dancing with you. You’ve got to be really tired after all of that. Why don’t you go grab something to eat at one of the tables, see if they have some coffee-”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>A nearby sinner looked over at them, his eyes widening in interest. “Excuse me- are you Vox the media overlord?”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>His screen brightened immediately, and he turned away from the voice to look at the sinner. “I am.” Vox beamed and straightened his bowtie. </span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“And the hero of Hell?”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Hero of Hell? Well. That’s a new one.” Vox’s chest puffed up with pride as Alastor rolled his eyes. “Did you hear that, Alastor? Hero of Hell. I’ve been called a lot of things in my day, but never that. Tell me, what did I do to get such a title? I do a lot of great things, it’s hard to keep track when you’re a humble man like myself.” </span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“You killed those two executioners! You showed Heaven they can’t boss us demons around anymore, now that we have someone to fight them.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Damn right.” Vox’s screen lit up. “I’ll take im’ on. I’ve got nothing to fear after all of that. Do you want to hear the whole story?”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Well shit! Of course I do! Let me go get the boys. They’ll want to hear this too.” </span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Alastor wanted to let out a huff, a sigh, some kind of sound of annoyance. Without his microphone all he could do to voice his displeasure was to flatten his ears and make his way toward one of the tables lined with food.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>-</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Vox founded himself surrounded by sinners eager to hear his story. He felt the pride swell through him as time ticked by without him knowing. He cast several quick glances to where Alastor was, finding him at home with many of the female sinners- all enjoying the food on the tables. When he turned back around, he felt one of the sinners tug on his arm.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“You have to see- we've been working on a mural!”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“A mural!” Vox let out a pleased sound. “Do tell, and lead the way.” He did not fight the skip in his step as he headed over with them toward a large brick wall depicting a half way finished portrait of himself, flanked by impaled executioners. Over his head was the word ‘savior’. His screen lit up to the highest setting as he quickly took a picture of it. “Not a bad likeness at all!”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“We needed to capture your glory. I’ve been working all week on this.” One of them remarked. He was covered in paint, gripping a brush tightly as he waited for approval.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, it’s </span>
  <em>
    <span>fantastic</span>
  </em>
  <span>. I’ve ah... never looked better.” He frowned a bit. There he was, blown up on a wall, all by himself as if he had overcome the executioners with no real motivation other than their destruction. He thought of Alastor, the one he wanted to protect, the demon who gave him the reason to be so brave, to harness all of his power to save them both. “But I’m a little lonely. You need to add Alastor to this wall.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“The radio demon? ...Why, was he with you?”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Vox flinched. Had he told the entire story without </span>
  <span>Alastor</span>
  <span> in it? He looked to the other demons around him and saw the confusion present on their faces. He let out a huff. “Ah... well boys, I fucked up. Yeah, he was. He’s the ah... shit- The Lois Lane to my Superman. Do any of you get that </span>
  <span>reference</span>
  <span>?”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Some of them raised their hands. The painter however, did not.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Fuck, okay. Let me try again.” Vox thought briefly about explaining the entire story to them. He spent so much time hyping up his own efforts that back tracking was simply out of the question. He shifted on his feet, frowning. “He’s... my muse. Yeah. Inspiring me to be my best and slaughter the executioners! So he’s </span>
  <span>gotta</span>
  <span> be on there for it to be </span>
  <em>
    <span>right</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
  <span>” The sinners around him all began to slowly nod and add murmurs of confirmation. “Look, thanks for the hang out, fellas. I appreciate it. But ah... I should get back to my date.” He turned away from them, ignoring their protests as he headed straight for Alastor and the group of sinners he was currently hanging around with.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Al! Hey!”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Alastor shot him a quick, piercing cold stare. The smile on his lips was curt and small. It was enough to stop Vox in his tracks. He felt the eyes of the other demons on him, the sensation of being judged crawling up his back.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Ah... What did you insinuate to them, babe?” He laughed, and hated how nervous it sounded. He got another glare in response, followed by what looked to be a long sigh. “I was just telling the guys over by the massive portrait of me that I couldn’t have done it without you. In a few days, we need to come back. I’ll have something to show you.” </span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Alastor raised an eyebrow at the word portrait. Vox reached for his hand, and with a silent sigh, he took it.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“I like attention, I can’t help it. I have to take in the adoration of my public! But I ah... I like when I get attention from you more.” He gave his hand a squeeze. “We really should get going. We spent more time than I thought here, I want to get your staff in to the repair place before it closes.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>The band began again, which caught Alastor’s attention. His ears twitched and his upper lip twitched. He took a step toward the music, pausing, and with another silent sigh turned back toward Vox.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Next date I promise we’ll go dancing. We’ll dance all night if you want.” The smile he received from Alastor made his heart flip flop. “It’s a date then.” He offered his arm to Alastor, guiding the two of them away from the party, the music fading off into the distance.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>-</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>The open sign blazed blue against the red sky. It looked like any number of dirty pawn stores Vox had seen in his day. “Are you </span>
  <em>
    <span>sure</span>
  </em>
  <span>?” He asked with a slight frown. “Look, I’m pretty sure I could get anyone to fix this thing.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Alastor gave a firm nod, gesturing to a small dingy sign. It read </span>
  <em>
    <span>Magic Repairs Done Here- only place in Hell.</span>
  </em>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Seriously? They’re the only place in Hell that fixes magic items?” He squinted at </span>
  <span>Alastor</span>
  <span>.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>The glare he received made him swallow. </span>
  
</p><p><span>“Alright, </span><em><span>alright</span></em><span>. We’ll go in. No wonder why you were so insistent on them earlier.” Vox rolled his eyes and reached for the front door. Before he could open it fully, there was a whistling sound. He froze and went to turn, only to find himself on his back, on the sidewalk. Things looked as if they were moving through water. An explosion rocked the store. The windows bowed and blew out as if a glass balloon burst, showering bits of glitter all over the cracked sidewalk.</span> <br/>
 <br/>
<span>Alastor</span><span> was on top of him, holding his shoulders down. A bubble of red surrounded them as debris rained down on top of it, bouncing off into growing pile around the protective shield. There was a ringing in his speakers as he watched </span><span>Alastor’s</span><span> face turn toward the ruined shop. He mouthed out words Vox could not understand, the corners of his mouth twitching in dismay. A moment later, the red shield went down. </span><span>Alastor</span><span> pulled him to his feet, dusting him off apologetically. He then turned toward the ruined shop, his usual smile looking strained. His red eyes carried worry as he brought his hand up to cover his mouth. Vox saw the muscle in his jaw twitch. Beneath his hand, Vox knew Alastor was frowning. He felt a surge of crackling energy rip through him, whipping around to look for the offender. “Are you fucking </span><em><span>kidding</span></em><span> me?! We can’t get this fixed now- Who the FUCK-”</span></p><p>
  <span>There was a loud, cackling laughter as a blimp hovered over them just above the buildings. “Fuck you, radio demon! I’ll teach you to forget who I am! It is I, </span>
  <span>Sssssir</span>
  
  <span>Pentiousssss</span>
  <span> who has ruined your day! You will never forget the day that I, </span>
  <span>Sssssiiir</span>
  <span> Pentioussss-”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Vox turned his attention to the blimp. Electric blue sparks rolled off his back, dancing around his </span>
  <span>fingertips</span>
  <span> as he raised a hand toward the blimp Cables sprung out from him, wrapping around the blimp. He heard the protests of the demon inside, but he did not care. Electricity tore through the blimp, ripping it to shreds and frying any technology inside to useless waste. The remains of it crashed to the street below. Flames flickered out quickly as the last bit of wreckage gave an exhausted mechanical wail before collapsing fully to the ground. Vox recalled his cables, growling out in a mixture of distorted static and an emergency signal sound as he took a step toward the wreckage. “Where the fuck are you, I </span>
  <em>
    <span>know</span>
  </em>
  <span> that didn’t finish you off-”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Alastor’s</span>
  <span> hands snagged his arm, tugging him back. He shook his head at him, patting his chest to get him to wait instead of charging to find Pentious.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Vox huffed, scowling hard as he waited for anything to come out of the ruined blimp. After a few moments, </span>
  <span>Pentious</span>
  <span> crawled out slowly coughing loudly. “There you are, you fuck! Do you have </span>
  <em>
    <span>any</span>
  </em>
  <span> idea of what you’ve just done?!” He erupted into a roar of distortion. He pulled away from </span>
  <span>Alastor</span>
  <span> in order to race toward Pentious. He lifted him up off the ground by his lapels, slamming him hard into the wall. “I’m going to turn you into a new pair of wingtips you stupid fucking-”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Alastor’s hands pulled on his shoulders, stopping Vox from doing any more harm. He shook his head at him, gesturing to Pentious.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Do you </span>
  <em>
    <span>know </span>
  </em>
  <span>this piece of shit?!” Vox said with narrowed eyes and a deeper tone to his electric voice.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Alastor gave a non-committal shrug.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Ssssstop! Sssstop it! Ssssssstop ssssssaying you don’t know me!” Pentious hissed at Alastor. “You KNOW me! You know who I am!”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Can I kill him now?” Vox asked in a flat tone.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Alastor shook his head once again, miming a screwing motion. When Vox gave him a confused look, he did a hammering motion instead.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“You want to nail him?” His mouth twitched at </span>
  <span>Alastor’s</span>
  <span> sour expression. </span>
  <span>Alastor</span>
  <span> gestured toward the ruined blimp and then back to Pentious, making the same hammering motion. Vox gave him a pensive look, before his eyes widened. Vox turned his attention to Pentious once more. “You fix shit? Is that what I’m getting?”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Wait, why </span>
  <span>isssssn’t</span>
  <span> he talking?” </span>
  <span>Pentious</span>
  <span> asked only to find himself shoved against the side the building again. He raised his hands quickly in surrender.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Not important! Can you fix shit or not?!”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <span>Yessss</span>
  <span>, I </span>
  <em>
    <span>am </span>
  </em>
  <span>an inventor-”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Great.</span>
  </em>
  <span> Then you’re going to fix his broken staff.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“And why the </span>
  <em>
    <span>hell </span>
  </em>
  <span>would I help you?” Pentious hissed and narrowed his eyes at the other demon.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Because you’re the IDIOT who blew up the repair shop!”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“I wassssn’t trying to hit the sssshop! That wasss an accident, I was trying to hit him!” Pentious gestured wildly to Alastor.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span> “Then learn to aim better!” He gripped </span>
  <span>Pentious</span>
  <span>’ collar harder, feeling the electricity spark off him again. Deep down, he knew his retort made no sense. He did not care. “I swear, if we can’t get this fixed now, I won’t even kill you- oh no. I’ll keep you alive just to torture you every miserable day you’ve got left down here-” He paused when </span>
  <span>Alastor</span>
  <span> tapped his shoulder again. “What, babe- I’m threatening this guy on your behalf-” He received another couple of pats, and another head shake no. He let out a long, slow sigh. “I... okay. You’re right. Yelling isn’t going to fix the staff.” He opened his hands and let Pentious fall to the ground. “I’ve said my piece.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Pentious groaned from the ground when Alastor knelt down beside him. “W-what issss he, your boyfriend?”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Alastor</span>
  <span> blinked at the question and looked up to Vox who wore a raw, expectant expression on his screen. He tilted his head to the side, twisting the staff in his hands for a moment. He gave a shrug and looked to Pentious.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“...Issss thissss why you aren’t talking?” </span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Alastor nodded. He tapped the microphone part of the staff and shook it. There was a rattling noise coming from inside. </span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Very well. If your boyfriend is going to fuck up my after life, then I sssssupose I could try to fix this.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>-</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Vox was sitting on a piece of the rubble from the shop. Alastor sat beside him, tapping his arm to get his attention. “I don’t take back what I said, I will make his life hell.” He muttered and kicked a rock with his shoe. “He’s got ten more minutes before I go over there and fuck him up again-”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Alastor nodded, and rubbed his back.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Vox shuddered at the sensation, leaning toward Alastor. “I promise not every date we go on will end up with us on an adventure.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Alastor’s body gave a slight shake, as if he was laughing. He shrugged a shoulder and patted Vox’s leg.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re just being nice.” Vox snorted. “All I wanted to do was take you on some lowkey dates after what we went through. One where you don’t get hurt. And now we’re on a damn quest because you </span>
  <em>
    <span>are </span>
  </em>
  <span>hurt, running around the city </span>
  <em>
    <span>again</span>
  </em>
  <span> like a couple of fools-” He stopped when he felt Alastor tap his leg once more.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>He mimed a dancing motion, smiling brightly at him.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay, okay. Yeah, the dancing was fun. Wait- are you having a </span>
  <em>
    <span>good</span>
  </em>
  <span> time?”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Alastor beamed and nodded.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Vox gave him a long, lingering look. “I... </span>
  <em>
    <span>why</span>
  </em>
  <span>-”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Alastor drew into the dirt. He gestured to the words ‘not boring’ when he was done.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“...Well. I </span>
  <em>
    <span>guess</span>
  </em>
  <span>.” Vox let out a tired sigh. “So... Am... I your boyfriend? You didn’t really indicate either way. I know it’s early, we’ve had two dates and one of them was trying to make sure we didn’t die.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Alastor’s contemplative look made his heart sink into his stomach. He watched him draw in the dirt again, indicating to his next set of words with his foot. ‘Not sure how this works. Talk about this later.’</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Right, right. This will require your voice. Sorry. I’m just really enjoying being with you. All I’ve wanted is your attention, since the moment I first saw you.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Alastor</span>
  <span> stared at him for a moment. He wore an unreadable expression until he reached down and squeezed Vox’s hand.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey! If you two are done..?” Pentious said as he slithered over to them. “I’ve finished your staff-”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Hah! Great-” Vox slapped his leg and went to stand up.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“-Not done.” Pentious adjusted his goggles. “I fixed the damage. But... this is a magic object. It’s going to need to be charged.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <span>Pft</span>
  <span>. No big deal, right babe? It’s your staff, you can charge that thing up-”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m afraid not.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“What? It’s his staff, why wouldn’t his power be the one to run it? Ugh. I swear to fucking... if this is one of Lucifer’s weird monkey’s paw things-”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“This isn’t Lucifer’s work.” He unscrewed the top of the microphone, revealing the bottom of the part he repaired. Stolas’ symbol was etched into it. “I may not be magic, but just like science, it has laws. You’ll need to have this finished by Prince Stolas.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span> “</span>
  <span>Stolas</span>
  <span>?! He lives half way across Hell!” Vox threw his hands up in the air. “He’s the </span>
  <em>
    <span>last </span>
  </em>
  <span>demon I want to see right now.” He ran his clawed hands down his screen, scowling hard. “I can’t believe this.” He looked over to Alastor, who seemed to be too distracted with Pentious to notice his reaction.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Alastor</span>
  <span> took his staff back from him. He traced his finger over the mark carefully. He screwed the microphone on, patting </span>
  <span>Pentious</span>
  
  <span>on the</span>
  <span> shoulder.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ll call for a car.” He looked over to Pentious. “You’re free to go. If you bother us again-”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, yeah. I know. Torture, make my life worsssse than hell.” He waved his hand dismissively. “I can’t have any more blimps be wrecked. Talk to the hand, chumpsss!” He slipped away from them heading toward the main part of his ruined blimp.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>-</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“I should have known better. It’s never easy.” Vox looked over at Alastor who was looking over the bottles of alcohol stashed in his limousine bar. He sat back with a bottle of bourbon and a glass in his hands. “I gotta ask. Did you not make any part of your staff?”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Alastor shook his head, pouring himself a glass.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“...Did you just... I don’t know, have it when you got here?”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>He nodded, taking a sip.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Huh. When I arrived in Hell, I had nothing. Who decides these things?”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Alastor shrugged and mimed devil horns above his head.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“He’s a dick.” Vox grumbled, watching as Alastor doubled over in a fit of laughter. “What, you don’t think so?”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>He shrugged again, patting Vox’s arm. He finished his glass of bourbon, and put the bottle away. After settling back into the seat, he made a long gesture with his hands.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“We’ll be there in a couple of hours at most, given the traffic.” Vox glanced out the tinted windows. “Which is all well and good. You need to rest. I don’t care if we’re dead, you’re running on steam and it’s upsetting.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Alastor glanced out of the side of his eye at Vox. He let out a sigh from his nose.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Come on Al, you can lay on me. I’ll keep quiet so you can get some sleep.” He reached over and placed a hand on </span>
  <span>Alastor’s</span>
  <span> back. He felt him tense beneath his hand, but the gesture was met with no sharp gesture or warning. He slowly moved his hand up and down, rubbing at the tension </span>
  <span>Alastor</span>
  <span> was carrying. “We can’t do anything </span>
  <span>else;</span>
  <span> you might as well relax for a while. As much as I would love to have a deep conversation with you, that’s not going to happen right now, and while I’m getting better at your cues, I’m not the best at charades. Though by the end of this, I bet I’ll be better than Velvet.” Alastor seemed to be slumping over more and more with each rub to his back. “Al? Hey-” He turned to catch the other demon before he fell any more forward. Alastor was limp in his arms. If it wasn’t for the slight rise and fall of his chest, he would have begun to panic.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Vox repositioned </span>
  <span>Alastor</span>
  <span> to lay his head in his lap. “Sure, go to sleep right when I start to get your gestures. I see how it is.” He chuckled and then looked to his phone. He should call </span>
  <span>Stolas</span>
  <span> and let him know they were coming. His thumb twitched over the phone icon, hovering in the air. “Fuck it.” He opened up his photos to distract himself instead. After scrolling through his photos, he found one of </span>
  <span>Stolas</span>
  <span>, spread out </span>
  <span>provactively</span>
  <span> on his bed. It was one night. He was single. It was fine. He quickly deleted the picture from his phone. </span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>According to Velvet’s pulse on social media, </span>
  <span>Stolas</span>
  <span> had his hands full with some imp, hopefully his attention would remain there too. </span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>His mind wandered to his relationship with </span>
  <span>Stolas</span>
  <span>. It was as hard and fast as any one night </span>
  <span>stand</span>
  <span> he had. It was a one and done deal. He brought up a search screen on his page, and started to type in the bar. </span>
  
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Do you call someone after a one night stand?</span>
  </em>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Fuck. He deleted it and started over again.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Do you call someone after a one night stand who is royalty?</span>
  </em>
  
</p><p>
  <span>He turned the phone off before searching, his hand going down to rest on top of Alastor’s arm.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>-</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>The closer they came to </span>
  <span>Stolas</span>
  <span>’ home, the greyer the red sky above him became, and the traffic went from heavy to sparse. </span>
  <span>Alastor</span>
  <span> remained asleep for the entire ride. The lonely, massive manor rose up in the distance with Imp City flanking it from behind. Vox let out a sigh, feeling his insides beginning to knot the closer they came to the manor. Once they came to a full stop, he felt like his insides were a ruined ball of yarn.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Ah- Al. Babe. I’m really sorry, but we’re here.” He gave him a gentle shake.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>He curled away from Vox on the seat, throwing an arm over his head in protest.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Come on, I know. I know this sucks. Once we explain this whole situation to Stolas, we can go sleep some place for real. But for now, you have to get up.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Slowly </span>
  <span>Alastor</span>
  <span> rose up from the seat. He gave Vox a heavy-lidded look, and yawned with a stretch. He leaned against Vox, waiting for </span>
  <span>the limousine</span>
  <span> to come to a full stop. Vox helped him out, quick to offer his arm to him. </span>
  <span>Alastor</span>
  <span> took the offered arm, leaning heavily into Vox as they made their way up to the gated manor.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Vox pressed the button, letting out a shaky sigh. “Just so you know, Al. Stolas and I fucked a few times. It wasn’t anything serious. It was also a while ago, but you know how Stolas can be. ...I think, I don’t know how often your paths cross.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Alastor merely gave a slight squeeze to his arm as if to reassure him that he had heard what he said. There came a buzzing sound from the speaker, followed by a familiar dull trill from Stolas. “May I ask who is calling?”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Prince Stolas! Your majesty, good evening. ...Why are you answering your own intercom and so uh... late at night?”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Is that Vox I hear? Well! What brings you here?” There was an excited tilt to his voice. “My last servant never let </span>
  <em>
    <span>any </span>
  </em>
  <span>guests in at all, and that won’t do. I’m terribly lonely, you know. I can’t afford to turn down any visitors- including the ones that </span>
  <em>
    <span>ghosted </span>
  </em>
  <span>me.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Alastor turned his eyes on Vox’s screen. He quirked an eyebrow at him.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Aha- yeah. I’m sorry, Stolas. I couldn’t keep up with you. I should have handled that better.” He swallowed thickly. “And at least spoke to you. I apologize. But I really need your help. We have a problem that needs your expertise-”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“We!” Stolas clapping his hands was heard over the intercom. “You’ve brought a guest with you, dear? Who, do tell!”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Al. Er—Alastor, the radio demon.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>The gates to the manor opened immediately. The lights flickered on in the main part of the home down the long pathway to the front door. It opened with a bang, as Stolas stood in the front door. His skinny frame was highlighted by the lights behind him.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“I suppose all is forgiven.” Vox said weakly.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>It was the longest, shortest walk of Vox’s afterlife. Alastor walked quicker than he wanted to go, tugging on his arm to move quicker. Soon enough, he found himself looking up at Stolas’ willowy frame.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“My word, it really is you.” Stolas murmured and brought his hand to his chest. “I’ve been wanting speak to you for decades. Come in my dear, we have so much to discuss. I never have magical guests!” He reached out to Alastor, gesturing to him with his spindly claws. “Don’t be shy! I’ve been waiting for this day.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Alastor glanced at Vox, slowly relinquishing his grip on his arm. He took a few small steps into Stolas’ manor. Once he was in far enough, the door shut before Vox could enter.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey! I’m still here! Don’t leave me out in the cold!” Vox pounded on the door. It opened a moment later. </span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Stolas</span>
  <span> poked his head through the gap with a wide smile. “How terribly rude of me to forget you out in the cold. I simply </span>
  <em>
    <span>forgot</span>
  </em>
  <span> you were outside.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“I...” He shut his mouth quickly. “Point made.” He mumbled and rubbed at the back of his neck. “Can I come in?”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“You </span>
  <em>
    <span>may</span>
  </em>
  <span>.” </span>
  <span>Stolas</span>
  <span> stepped aside, letting Vox enter. The entry way was a cavernous place, full of enormous vaulted ceilings, adorned with murals. He felt small as he looked around craning his screen upward to take in the sight of the hand painted décor. “Quite a place you’ve got here. Ah—where is Alastor?”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ve sent him along to the sitting room. You and I need to have a word...” He folded his thin arms over his chest as he stared down at Vox. “While I am no strange to being ghosted, I see you’ve finally gained the radio demon’s favor. Are you going to do the very same to him as you did to me?” He asked pointedly.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“No, no. I- what we had was a one-night stand.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes, and how charming you are until you get what you want. There are few magic users in Hell, and I feel compelled to protect them as such. Quite frankly, I don’t trust you or your intentions.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Vox rubbed the back of his neck, his mind whirling with what to do or say. “I know you think I’m a sleaze, you have every right to that since I ah, fucked up with you. I’ve been wanting to get </span>
  <span>Alastor’s</span>
  <span> attention for decades, I’m not going to be an asshole to him. You must have heard about what we went through, and what I went through to save him. Fuck, I brought him </span>
  <em>
    <span>here</span>
  </em>
  <span>, knowing </span>
  <em>
    <span>you</span>
  </em>
  <span> would be pissed at me.” </span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Stolas</span>
  <span> let out a defeated sigh. “True, very true. I suppose you wouldn’t come here with </span>
  <span>Alastor</span>
  <span> if you were afraid to face your own consequences for his sake. Alright then, Vox- you may join us in the sitting room.” He strolled ahead of him, his long robe sweeping the floor. After what seemed like an eternity, Vox turned a corner with Stolas into a moderately sized sitting room with floor to ceiling windows. “Please, do make yourselves at home.” He sat down on a deep red chaise, folding his long legs beneath him.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Vox spied </span>
  <span>Alastor</span>
  <span> on the couch and his shoulders slumped in relief. Given how nicely settled </span>
  <span>Alastor</span>
  <span> looked, he wondered if </span>
  <span>Stolas</span>
  <span> purposely lengthened their stroll with his magic.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Stolas</span>
  <span> turned to look at Alastor, tilting his head at the other demon. “I wasn’t expecting such a quiet radio show host. ...Unless that is why you both are here.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Alastor</span>
  <span> nodded slowly, summoning his staff to appear in his hands.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“It got broken, he hasn’t been able to speak since. We fixed the physical part, but ah... it needs to be recharged magic wise? We were hoping you could help.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Stolas</span>
  <span> chuckled as reached out to take the staff. “</span>
  <span>Of course</span>
  <span> I can! I must say, it’s been over eighty years since I made this, you took such good care of it, despite your violent rampages and feeding fests. I figured I would be seeing you sooner.” He began to unscrew the microphone from the base. “I can’t imagine how surprised you were to find my symbol inside.” He traced his fingers over the emblem inside the microphone’s base. “I suppose I owe you some answers.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Alastor</span>
  <span> nodded hard, eyeing his staff protectively from where he sat.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh goodie! I do love telling a good story, and I’ve never been able to tell this one!” He trilled with the widest smile. “I’ve been waiting eighty odd years for this day.” He extended his hand as a green glow appeared around it. The world around them shifted into an illusion of a massive crypt. There were carvings of dark stone, </span>
  <span>depicting</span>
  <span> the first demons to appear in Hell. Vox found himself gripping the couch cushion as the mists from the crypt crept around his ankles. </span>
  <span>Alastor</span>
  <span> was busy looking around with wide eyes, chewing on his bottom lip as if he was waiting for a treat.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Stolas</span>
  <span> lounged on his chaise, running his claws through his own illusion, creating a ripple in the fake walls. “There was a huge influx of souls coming from the living world at the time. There was some horrible event happening at the time, but who can keep up with all the delightfully miserable things humans do to each other? It was some sort of depression of </span>
  <em>
    <span>some </span>
  </em>
  <span>kind. Anyway, Lucifer was overworked and exhausted...” Stolas began as an image of himself appeared in the crypt with a haggard Lucifer.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>He ran a hand through his short blond hair with a long, bone deep sigh. “Stolas, I need your help processing the dead. I wouldn’t have bothered you if it wasn’t necessary.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Nonsense, my king! I’m happy to help! You look quite tired if I do say so myself...” The illusion of </span>
  <span>Stolas</span>
  <span> chirped. Souls appeared on the stone slabs, fresh and without assigned forms. He gave them a </span>
  <span>wide-eyed</span>
  <span> look as he rubbed his hands together similar to the one </span>
  <span>Alastor</span>
  <span> wore as the illusion began. “Which one do I get to judge first?”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, I’ll do these.” Lucifer stretched and yawned again. “I have a special one I’d like you to do. I’ve already started the body, but this one’s more of a </span>
  <span>nuisance</span>
  <span>. He’s got a lot of magic I need you to remove. It’s all latent. If he were allowed to keep what he came in with, he would prove to be incredibly dangerous to everyone in Hell.” The illusion shifted to a slab where </span>
  <span>Alastor</span>
  <span> was resting as a deer demon.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Vox’s mouth opened. “</span>
  <span>So</span>
  
  <em>
    <span>this</span>
  </em>
  <span> is how we get processed?!”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Alastor</span>
  <span> swatted his leg, turning sharply to him. He pressed a finger to his lips and Vox shut his mouth with an internal sigh.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span> “After you do that, I don’t care how you finish as long as you give him some sort of catch. Cursed newspaper, can’t stop dancing when music is on- whatever. Just make </span>
  <em>
    <span>certain </span>
  </em>
  <span>he’s drained before you release him into Hell.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Of course, you can count on me.” </span>
  <span>Stolas</span>
  <span> preened and took the scroll resting beside </span>
  <span>Alastor</span>
  <span>. “This won’t take me long at all.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“See that it doesn’t.” Lucifer gave him a long, lingering look. “No getting soft on him because he’s got magic. I can’t afford throwing out a sinner with that much power into Hell. Call me if you need me.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Vox reached over and took </span>
  <span>Alastor’s</span>
  <span> hand. The other demon’s eyes were locked on his unmoving body. His hand squeezed Vox’s in return in a near punishing grip.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Right then, take care my liege.” </span>
  <span>Stolas</span>
  <span> leaned against the slab, peering over the scroll at </span>
  <span>Alastor</span>
  <span>. “Here lies the body of </span>
  <span>Alastor</span>
  <span>- a wicked man who stole many lives in New Orleans.” He picked up a </span>
  <span>jet black</span>
  <span> quill from a nearby stand. “Huh. ...Your name is </span>
  <span>Alastor</span>
  <span>. That’s a fine name for a demon. I’m not going to take that from you. You can keep that my dear. Consider it a gift, most sinners lose their names.” He let out a slight hum, his eyes roaming over the scroll’s tallies. “...My, </span>
  <span>my</span>
  <span>. You </span>
  <em>
    <span>do</span>
  </em>
  <span> have a lot of lives tied to you- I can see why you came in with so much magic</span>
  <span>.” He tapped a claw against his beak. “</span>
  <em>
    <span>Goodness</span>
  </em>
  <span>, your death was tragic.” He glanced down at the body. “Lucifer does have a sick sense of justice at times. It seems like he pulled out the stops on you. A hunter in a prey animal’s body.” He went back to reading the scroll and stopped. “Oh! You liked acting, and were a radio show host. I’m certain you must be quite charming! Maybe one of these days you’ll come by, and we can chat. ...Not that anyone ever does.” He cleared his throat and continued. “Your father refused to </span>
  <span>acknowledge</span>
  <span> your birth as it was out of wedlock and to your mother who was lower in social standing. That’s not right at all. A father should never ignore his child’s entire existence, that’s needlessly cruel.” He let out a firm, disappointed sigh. “At least your mother was quite kind. It says here you did well in school when you could go, what a smart fellow you were!</span>
  <span> But the children picked on you for your skin color.” His claws fiddled with the scroll as he looked down at the body once more. “...I... It sounds like your life was difficult.” He looked down through the scroll. “Mmmph.” He went through the scroll, checking boxes as he went rather idly. He rolled up the scroll, sitting it back in the bin. “I... I suppose I should finish you now that the bureaucracy is done.” He cleared his throat and raised his arms up.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>There was a slight glow around the body on the slab, illuminating his features. </span>
  <span>Alastor’s</span>
  <span> lifeless mouth suddenly twisted, his eyes shot open, and he called out in a silent voice for his mother. The silent pleas continued as his empty eyes looked to </span>
  <span>Stolas</span>
  <span> for help.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Goodness no!” </span>
  <span>Stolas</span>
  <span> violently lowered his arms, as if flinging the spell off of him. “Damn it, Lucifer! How dare you give me this one as a parent!” His words echoed in the illusion, bouncing off of the stone walls. Stolas’ feathers were fluffed as he glowered at the place where Lucifer once stood. The glow fell to nothing, and Alastor’s body went dormant again.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <span>Oh</span>
  <span> Satan help me, I </span>
  <em>
    <span>can’t do it</span>
  </em>
  <span>. You didn’t have a very fair life, </span>
  <span>Alastor</span>
  <span> of New Orleans, it doesn’t seem fair to set you up for failure in Hell as well. Lucifer is going to kill me, but... He’s been mad at me before. You know, any good showman needs a proper cane, and any good magician needs a worthy staff.” He summoned </span>
  <span>Alastor’s</span>
  <span> staff. “You can keep your magic, but your voice will be forever tied to this device.” He folded </span>
  <span>Alastor’s</span>
  <span> lifeless fingers around the staff. “Take good care of it. Be well, my dear! I’m sure I’ll be seeing you soon.” He reached over to a lever and pulled it, sending Alastor’s body plunging in to darkness.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>The illusion around them faded into the sitting room around them. </span>
  <span>Alastor</span>
  <span> stared at where his body once was. </span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“And that’s what happened! I took my punishment from Lucifer well. It was worth it. But ah- he was certainly correct about you, my dear. You really did raise hell.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Alastor</span>
  <span> stared at </span>
  <span>Stolas</span>
  <span>, his expression looking raw and drained. Slowly, he got up to his feet. He extended his hand to </span>
  <span>Stolas</span>
  <span>.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh? What’s this, you want to make a deal?” </span>
  <span>Stolas</span>
  <span> asked as he raised an eyebrow at him. “There’s no need, I’ll fix your staff without one.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Alastor</span>
  <span> shook his head.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“He wants you to shake his hand without a deal. It’s a sign of respect.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh! I see. Very well.” </span>
  <span>Stolas</span>
  <span> got up from his chaise, and grasped </span>
  <span>Alastor’s</span>
  <span> hand. “You’ll forgive me, I don’t do this often.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Vox watched the gesture, his screen mouth hung open in shock. It was a simple handshake, once it was over there was nothing more than idle chit chat. However, this was a handshake initiated by </span>
  <span>Alastor</span>
  <span>, with no deal, purely because he wanted to show an act of respect toward another demon. As far as he could tell, </span>
  <span>Alastor</span>
  <span> respected few.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Well now, you’ve come very far and indulged me in a bit of a show of illusion. Let me get your staff all fixed up.” He picked up the staff from the table, holding his hand over the microphone. Unlike before, his hand did not glow. A moment or two passed of nothing.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Ah... Stolas? Are you done? Is the microphone fixed?”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Haha, my face is certainly red! I ah... I’ve only used this spell once in eighty years to create this staff. I can’t ah... recall it. But! It’s in my grimoire. ...Which is in Imp City. I’m sorry my dears, I can’t fix this for you tonight. I can offer you lodging, and I will send for my book in the morning.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Vox glanced to </span>
  <span>Alastor</span>
  <span>, who merely shrugged and nodded.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“One room or two?”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Alastor</span>
  <span>, without hesitation, held up one finger.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“One it is! This way, my dears.” He gestured for them to follow down a long ornate hallway.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>-</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Once they approached the room, Vox eagerly went inside. Before </span>
  <span>Alastor</span>
  <span> could, </span>
  <span>Stolas</span>
  <span> gently tapped him on the shoulder. “I’m sorry, my dear. May I have a word with you? Magic user to magic user.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Alastor</span>
  <span> flinched at the touch. The urge to yank away quickly fell to the side. There was something comforting about the slight touch coming from Stolas that he found impossible to be upset over. He turned to look at him and nodded once.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey babe, aren’t you coming?” Vox called out from the room. “This place is </span>
  <span>huge;</span>
  <span> it’s going to blow your mind!”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m borrowing him, Vox dear. I promise I’ll bring him back in five minutes.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Vox poked his head out the door. “Uh, is this something I need to be involved in?”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“No </span>
  <span>no</span>
  <span>. I need to speak to Alastor. It’s rare I run into other magic users. I need to take advantage of the opportunity. I won’t steal him for long.” </span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay, just... don’t take too long.” </span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>-</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Alastor</span>
  <span> found himself in the sitting room again, seated across from </span>
  <span>Stolas</span>
  <span> who made himself at home on his chaise once more.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m truly sorry about your voice, dear. We’ll get you fixed up tomorrow. I must admit, I was shocked at your appearance. It looks like you haven’t slept in days. ...Do you want me to get you a different room? I’m worried you won’t get much sleep staying with a demon like Vox given how energetic and needy he is. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Especially </span>
  </em>
  <span>given he’s with you.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Alastor</span>
  <span> cracked a sheepish expression at Stolas’ words. He shook his head no.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Stolas</span>
  <span> blinked, raising an eyebrow. “No, you don’t need your own? Well... alright. I have no shortage of rooms, dear.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>He shook his head no again, feeling his wide smile fall into a more natural one. </span>
  <span>Stolas</span>
  <span> already did more for him than most others had ever cared to do, and continued to do so for no other reason other than he wanted to offer </span>
  <span>Alastor</span>
  <span> kindness.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Now, on to the other item.” He sat up a bit straighter, frowning slightly at him. “The lack of sleep worries me. Do you want a cup of tea?” The instant furrowing of his brow made </span>
  <span>Stolas</span>
  <span> chuckle. “Not a fan of tea, I see. Well... I heard about what you and Vox went through the other night.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Alastor</span>
  <span> stiffened visibly.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“I heard about the gas.” He followed his hands neatly in his lap. “I don’t know what it does exactly, but Lucifer mentioned you took a direct hit. I’m not going to pry into your business, </span>
  <span>Alastor</span>
  <span>. I can’t imagine what you went through with Vox. Despite what he’s been saying, the two of you must have been so scared.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>He pursed his lips, looking to </span>
  <span>Stolas</span>
  <span> with a strained expression.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“You don’t have to affirm either way, dear. That’s none of my business.” He said quickly. “I have many kinds of tea, dear. I have one that will help you sleep well and encourage good dreams. You went through so </span>
  <em>
    <span>much</span>
  </em>
  <span>, I just want to help.” When </span>
  <span>Alastor</span>
  <span> gave him a questioning look, he brought a hand up to his chest feathers. “My dear guest, just because I am a demon does not mean I am malicious all of the time. What you went through was cruel and unusual, you deserve a chance to recover properly. Besides, we are both magic beings. We have a connection beyond the usual one between demons. So... I will ask again. I know you don’t like tea, but may I make you a cup to help you sleep better?”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Alastor</span>
  <span> slowly gave a nod. </span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>-</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>The tea was already doing a world of good. He felt a slow warmth and the tension easing </span>
  <span>its</span>
  <span> way out of his body. By time he got back to the run and bid </span>
  <span>Stolas</span>
  <span> a goodnight, he was ready to try sleeping once more. Vox was waiting, sitting upright in bed with his phone in his hand. He looked up from the device with a wide smile. “There you are! Is everything alright?”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Alastor</span>
  <span> nodded with a wide smile.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay, that’s good. I’m sure you’ll tell me when you can. Unless it’s some sort of ‘magic secret’ shit.” He made air </span>
  <span>quotes</span>
  <span> and rolled his eyes. “There’s also some spare pajamas in the bottom drawer. I took a pair of the pajama pants. I’m not a fan of wearing anything up top.” He grinned at him flashing the network of glowing circuitry coursing over his dark flesh. Depending on where he stood, Vox’s skin shifted from a jet black to a dusky blue. Once Vox realized how long </span>
  <span>Alastor</span>
  <span> was staring for, his expression turned into a suggestive one. “Like what you see babe?”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Alastor</span>
  <span> blushed and rolled his eyes, turning his attention on undressing. He hung up his coat, his bow tie, and stopped when he began to unbutton the shirt. He shot a look over his shoulder at Vox who was watching him intently. His ears flattened against his head.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Can you blame me?” The static rose up around them and Vox held up his hands quickly. “Sorry, sorry. I’ll look over here.” He pointed at the wall, keeping his screen focused off of Alastor.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>He let out a silent sigh, and finished undressing. He pulled out a pair of pajama pants and a shirt, ones made of red silk. It seemed insane to have such expensive material </span>
  <span>available</span>
  <span> to guests. He put them on, heading over to bed. He tapped Vox’s shoulder to let him know he was done.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“All set, huh.” He tilted his screen to the side. “You look less tense. We’ve been through a lot today, I’m </span>
  <em>
    <span>glad</span>
  </em>
  <span> to see you a little more relaxed. I was getting worried.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Alastor</span>
  <span> sought for any lie within those words. There wasn’t. He fiddled with the sheets.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“I’d make a joke about getting you in to bed, but I don’t want to rile you up.” He joked and was greeted with another eye roll. “...How are you doing without your voice? You alright in there?”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>He reached over and squeezed Vox’s hand in response.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“We’ll get you fixed up soon.” He said in a softer tone. “I miss your voice. I can’t wait to hear you zing me again. I’m really sorry we’ve only had one normal date, it’s not like this usually. Though, this one’s been more pleasant than our last adventure, I </span>
  <span>gotta</span>
  <span> say. I’m trying to give you a break so you can recover, but here we are. I keep trying, and I don’t know when your patience is going to run out with me. You’ve got to be running low on Vox tolerance by now.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Alastor</span>
  <span> squeezed his hand again, shaking his head at him. He opened and closed his mouth, wanting to speak. He narrowed his eyes in frustration, chewing on his lip in thought. His eyes opened up wide in realization. He took Vox’s hand, carefully pulling it around his waist and to his back. He moved Vox’s fingers around the bundle of fluff he kept hidden. Vox’s eyes were as wide as they could go. His fingers seemed frozen in his tail fur, frightened to move.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Al- you have a </span>
  <em>
    <span>tail</span>
  </em>
  <span>. I... I never would have thought-” Carefully, his fingers twitched and stroked the soft fur. “I never would have—well... if you’re showing me this, if you’re letting me sleep with you in the same bed- you ah... you want me here. Regardless or in spite of everything.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Alastor gave a nod.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Fuck, you must think I’m an idiot for not picking up on this.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>He gave another, more enthusiastic nod that had Vox’s eyes narrowing.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“You didn’t </span>
  <em>
    <span>have</span>
  </em>
  <span> to agree to that.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span> Amused, he placed his hand on the side of his screen, running his fingers down the side of it. They swept along the bottom border, causing Vox’s chest to hitch. The circuitry on upper body pulsed and glowed a bright blue.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ve wanted your attention for so long, I never would have dreamed of getting your affection too.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Alastor’s</span>
  <span> fingers touched his screen, his finger imprints creating a darker blue. Vox’s eyes shut, feeling the sensation of </span>
  <span>Alastor’s</span>
  <span> touch on what served as his face. He let out a long sigh. “O...oh. Al...” His eyes closed for a moment, enjoying the sensation of being so close to Alastor, with his fingers still stroking his tail. He laid back down into the bed, taking Alastor with him. He rested against Vox, his head on his chest. Vox felt </span>
  <span>Alastor’s</span>
  <span> heart beating against him, mixing with the thrum of his own circuitry. “If my body’s too loud, I could try-”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>He glanced down at </span>
  <span>Alastor</span>
  <span> who was fast asleep against him, his face awash in peace. Vox began to slowly dim his screen, letting out a contented sigh. “Night, Al.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>-</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Alright, </span>
  <span>Stolas</span>
  <span>- what was so important that I had to get here first thing in the morning? I had at least two more </span>
  <span>hour's worth</span>
  <span> of sleep I wanted to get to but </span>
  <em>
    <span>no</span>
  </em>
  <span>-” </span>
  <span>Blitzo</span>
  <span> began as he struggled to carry </span>
  <span>Stolas</span>
  <span>’ massive grimoire into the sitting room. There stood none other than Vox, the media overlord, and Alastor the radio demon. “H-</span>
  <span>hhhholllly</span>
  <span> shit! Am I getting interviewed for a </span>
  <span>spot on</span>
  <span> VOX network? We could use the bump in advertising!”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“I- Well, that </span>
  <em>
    <span>would</span>
  </em>
  <span> have been a good idea to ask for such a thing...” </span>
  <span>Stolas</span>
  <span> fiddled with his hands for a moment. “But-”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Ow, hey!” Vox stumbled forward suddenly, glaring at </span>
  <span>Alastor</span>
  <span> who motioned toward </span>
  <span>Blitzo</span>
  <span> and Stolas with a firm expression. “...</span>
  <em>
    <span>Oh.</span>
  </em>
  <span> Oh, yeah! I can do that. Here’s my card. Contact me and we’ll set up some time for that. It would be my pleasure.” A business card appeared in Vox’s hand, and he offered it to </span>
  <span>Blitzo</span>
  <span>.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Hah! This is just the break we needed! </span>
  <span>Moxxie’s</span>
  <span> going to eat his fucking words.” He took the card from Vox and shoved it quickly into his pocket. “...Thanks for setting this up, Stolas. Here’s your fucking heavy book.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh! No need to thank </span>
  <em>
    <span>me</span>
  </em>
  <span>.” He glanced to Vox and beamed at him, taking the book into his arms. He flipped through the pages quickly. “Ah! There’s the one I need. Oh, I was so frustratingly close last night. Ah well. Alastor? Your staff, please.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>He snapped his fingers, summoning the cane to his hand. He handed it to Stolas, and stepped back toward Vox. The other demon put an arm around him, his grip was tighter than it normally would have been. Alastor responded by tapping him lightly on the hand.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Sorry. Just nervous.” Vox loosened his grip.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Alastor</span>
  <span> gave him an affectionate smile, and then turned his attention back to </span>
  <span>Stolas</span>
  <span>. It was like art watching an advanced spell castor like </span>
  <span>Stolas</span>
  <span> work. His movements were both willowy and sharply precise, working his long, talon like fingers in a circle over the staff. Ancient runes lit up and glowed, similar to </span>
  <span>Alastor’s</span>
  <span> own red veve. The room lit up in a flash of white light, vanishing quickly into the staff.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Stolas</span>
  <span> tilted his head expectantly to </span>
  <span>Alastor</span>
  <span>. “Well?”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>He took in an audible breath, the sound laced with familiar static. “My goodness, it feels </span>
  <em>
    <span>great</span>
  </em>
  <span> to be back on the air again!” </span>
  <span>Alastor</span>
  <span> said with a great flourish and stepped from Vox to take his staff back. “My </span>
  <span>my</span>
  
  <em>
    <span>my</span>
  </em>
  <span>, have I missed the sound of my voice. Thank you, your highness, for your hospitality and magic!” He bowed at the waist. “If it weren’t for the circumstance, I’d say this was a lovely weekend getaway. Perhaps sooner rather than later, we can plan for something again. I must say, it is </span>
  <em>
    <span>wonderful </span>
  </em>
  <span>to be around more magic users. I feel absolutely recharged!”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, that would be </span>
  <span>divine</span>
  <span>! I do love company.” </span>
  <span>Stolas</span>
  <span> trilled. “Do give me a call, Alastor.” </span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Absolutely! And you, your name my good imp?” </span>
  <span>Alastor</span>
  <span> asked and looked down to Blitzo with a wide smile.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <span>Blitzo</span>
  <span>- the o is silent.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“How </span>
  <span>efficient</span>
  <span>! Well, thank you for bringing the book. I wouldn’t be myself without it.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re welcome! Anytime, pal.” Blitzo beamed at the praise and then furrowed his brow. “Wait.” He looked up at </span>
  <span>Stolas</span>
  <span>. “What the fuck happened here?”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ll tell you later, dear </span>
  <span>Blitzy</span>
  <span>.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Alastor</span>
  <span> turned back around to face Vox. “And you-”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Vox sprung forward, gathering </span>
  <span>Alastor</span>
  <span> into a tight hug. He had dimmed his screen to make his expression unreadable as he squeezed him, unwilling to let go. </span>
  <span>Alastor</span>
  <span> stumbled at the sudden gesture, wearing a surprised expression no one but </span>
  <span>Stolas</span>
  <span>’ portraits saw. He reached around to stroke the back of Vox’s screen, earning him a pleasant pop of static. “...Let’s go home, darling.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>-</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh! And the </span>
  <em>
    <span>look </span>
  </em>
  <span>on that ridiculous snake’s face when you threatened him! I was planning on lashing out, but you </span>
  <em>
    <span>really</span>
  </em>
  <span> took care of it. He’ll never forget that, that’s for sure!” </span>
  <span>Alastor</span>
  <span> let out a hearty laugh, looking to the worn expression on Vox’s screen. “Darling, are you alright? I think you took me losing my voice harder than I did. I didn’t see you </span>
  <em>
    <span>this </span>
  </em>
  <span>exhausted when we were running from executioners.” </span>
  <span>Alastor</span>
  <span> shifted toward him in the limousine seat.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“I was worried about you. I don’t do worry well.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“No, you don’t.” </span>
  <span>Alastor</span>
  <span> let out a sigh.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“You had something happen to you that I could not fix. No matter what I could do with my technology, I couldn’t fix your magic stick. ...I didn’t like that. I felt powerless to help you, except for the stuff I could deal with- and those things weren’t going to fix the problem. I was out of my fucking element when you needed me the most.” He let out a long sigh, slumping down in his seat.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Ah, darling- please don’t.” </span>
  <span>Alastor</span>
  <span> raised Vox’s screen up so he could look at him properly. “Do you know the reason why I was so calm throughout the whole ordeal?”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“No. ...Though you were oddly fucking calm for someone who loves their voice so much.” He gave him a hard side eye. “What gives, </span>
  <em>
    <span>radio </span>
  </em>
  <span>demon?”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Because I was with </span>
  <em>
    <span>you. </span>
  </em>
  <span>The same brave idiot who took out two executioners to save me. I knew that since I was with you, you would do </span>
  <em>
    <span>everything </span>
  </em>
  <span>in your power to get me to where I needed to go to fix my staff. And that is </span>
  <em>
    <span>precisely</span>
  </em>
  <span> what you did. You helped me take care of it, how could I not be calm?”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Vox’s eyes widened. “I did help? I felt like a damn fool most of the time.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Don’t get me wrong darling, you </span>
  <em>
    <span>were</span>
  </em>
  <span> a damn fool. But you’re my damn fool, and you truly did help.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“So...” Vox began as they slowly rolled up on the hotel. “Does that mean you’ll come back with me this time?”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“No, darling. I’m afraid it doesn’t.” He picked up Vox’s hands, placing them on either side of his face. “I’ve learned a lot of things about myself. I need to process them. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Alone</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
  <em>
    
  </em>
  <span>I want to see you sometime this week though. Maybe for another dinner? </span>
  <em>
    <span>I do</span>
  </em>
  <span> remember you promising me dancing. I’d like to go ah... dancing with my beau.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Beau?” Vox paused for a good minute. A spark went through him, his eyes as wide as they were upon his discovery of </span>
  <span>Alastor’s</span>
  <span> tail. His smile split his screen for a mere moment before he forced his expression to something more relaxed. “Right! Yeah, of course we can do that. As your official boyfriend, I’m delighted to take you on only the best dates and </span>
  <span>spontaneous</span>
  <span> adventures.” Vox’s hands moved from </span>
  <span>Alastor’s</span>
  <span> face to his hair. “You’ll call me if you need me in the meantime?”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Probably not as soon as you would like.” </span>
  <span>Alastor</span>
  <span> gently tapped his screen. “But yes.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“You know I’m greedy.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“I know.” He chuckled. “Walk me to the door?”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Of course.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>-</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Alastor</span>
  <span> waved goodbye to Vox from the balcony of his hotel room. He waited until the limousine was totally out of the way before sitting at his vanity. He placed some extra packets of tea from </span>
  <span>Stolas</span>
  <span> on the dark wood surface.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>He started at the diminished dark circles reflecting back to him in the mirror. He turned his head to the side, and then to the other. “One night away and I feel like a new demon.” He glanced over to the bed with a raised eyebrow. Hopefully tonight he would have similar luck getting some rest.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>His shadow crept out from around his legs, hanging off of his shoulders as if it was expecting to hear every bit of detail.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Vox was </span>
  <span>vulnerable</span>
  <span> with me. I wasn’t expecting that.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>The shadow cocked his head to the side curiously. It placed </span>
  <span>its</span>
  <span> hand over </span>
  <span>Alastor’s</span>
  <span> heart, tapping </span>
  <span>its</span>
  <span> fingers there.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, don’t be ridiculous. It’s nothing like that. I know he’s wild about me, but I need to sort this out more. I don’t </span>
  <em>
    <span>have</span>
  </em>
  <span> feelings like this normally, you know. A beau and ah... friends. Friends that </span>
  <em>
    <span>want </span>
  </em>
  <span>me to be around and not because I’m in business with them.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>His shadow looked absolutely delighted, squeezing its inky black talons into his shoulders in encouragement.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes, </span>
  <span>yes it is</span>
  <span>... </span>
  <em>
    <span>nice</span>
  </em>
  <span>.” He waved his hand dismissively, despite the soft smile on his face. “Do me a favor would you? Tonight, if I’m struggling with sleeping, you have my permission to seek out Vox and let him know.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>His shadow stopped moving, staring at </span>
  <span>Alastor</span>
  <span> inquisitively.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Ah yes, darling. I </span>
  <em>
    <span>am</span>
  </em>
  <span> serious. Hopefully it won’t come to that, and my sleep will be uneventful. Vox’s </span>
  <span>presence</span>
  <span> was comforting. I am not certain if it was because of our connection to the </span>
  <span>hallucinogenic</span>
  <span> gas, or that he generally makes me feel at ease- I am tired of struggling with this alone.” He picked up a packet of the tea.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Especially since I don’t have to.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>-</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Lucifer stared up at the mostly finished mural of Vox and </span>
  <span>Alastor</span>
  <span> painted on the side of a brick building. Vox was fully done, while </span>
  <span>Alastor</span>
  <span> was missing a few finishing touches. They were flanked by exterminators impaled on pikes, with the word SAVIOR written in gold letters above Vox’s head. He received many reports on the mural, and piles of complaints from heaven about the destruction of two of their executioners.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Demons were not supposed to fight back. Sinners were not </span>
  <em>
    <span>supposed </span>
  </em>
  <span>to be able to kill exterminators.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span> He rubbed his chin as a wide grin split his face and his eyes narrowed. “Dear me, how stupidly impressed my people are. Savior... how... </span>
  <em>
    <span>interesting</span>
  </em>
  <span>.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>He tilted his head to the side, eyeing </span>
  <span>Alastor’s</span>
  
  <span>depiction. "My</span>
  <span> dear old friend, I thought you had better taste than to get involved with this fool. He’s simply no good, what am I going to do with you...? And Vox- ever the obnoxious one, the creator of so </span>
  <em>
    <span>many </span>
  </em>
  <span>distractions... And now you have become one of them.” He stretched a hand out to the golden words with a mocking laugh. “</span>
  <span>Oh</span>
  <span> a </span>
  <em>
    <span>savior</span>
  </em>
  <span>, a savior of </span>
  <em>
    <span>what</span>
  </em>
  <span>? We shall see, Vox! We shall </span>
  <em>
    <span>see</span>
  </em>
  <span>.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Chuckling, he strolled down the sidewalk, the lightbulbs in the street lamps above exploding in his wake.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>End</span>
  
</p>
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